Propulsion mechanism for boats



N0. 6|8,555. Paten'ted lan. 3L |899. A. BELZ.

PBOPULSION MECHANISM FOR BOATS.

rAnnlication med Apr. 26, 189s.)

2 Sheets-Sheet IA [No Model.)

Y s Noam: mns co. PHOTO-umm wAsHxNGYolA n c No. 6|a,555. Patented 1an. 3|, |899.

A. BELz.

PROP-ULSIDN MECHANISM FDH BOATS.

(Application led Apr. 26, 189B.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

TN: Nonni: evils co4. PwraLmm.. WASHINGTON, n. cA

yNTTED STATES PATENT einen.

ALBERT BELZ, OF APPLETON, VISCONSIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 618,555, dated January 31, 1899.

Application iiled April 26, 1898. Serial No. 678,883. (No model.)

To @ZZ whoml it' may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BELZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Propulsion Mechanism for Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in mechanism for the propulsion of small boats, the object of my improvement being to provide a simple and effective means for propelling` small boat-s by foot-power, the mechanism being` so positioned .in the hull of the boat that there will be but few parts which project above the sides thereof; also, to provide improved steeringgear and means for raisingl and lowering the stern-wheel, which is actuated by the propulsion mechanism.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of the parts and general arrangement thereof,as willbehereinafterspecified.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l isa perspective view of a boat with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View; Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view through the line 2 2 of Fig. 2 looking aft. Fig. 4L is a detail sectional view showing the means for raising and lowering the stern-Wheel-supporting frame, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a pair of the foot-pedals detached.

A refers to a stern-wheel-supporting fram-e made up of side bars having at their rear ends bearings d, in which is seated a transverse shaft, upon which the stern-wheel A is mounted, and beyond the bearings the shaft carries crank-arms d', set quartered. The paddle-wheel is of ordinary construction, and the radial arms thereof are braced by suitable'rims, as shown.

B refers to a suitable fender or shield, the side pieces thereof overlying the paddles and being rigidly-attached to the side bars of the stern-wheel-supporting frame. The side bars are pivotally attached to a cross-piece C, at'- tached to the gunwales of the boat, and when lowered the side bars of the frame may rest upon the stern of the boat. Through the bearings attached to the cross-piece C and the frame is a rod c, which forms the connecting means between the boat and wheelsupporting frame.

C refers to a transverse shaft which is journaled adjacent to the stern of the boat, and upon this rod or shaft are rigidly secured cams c', and to one of the cams is attached an arm C2, having notches in the free end.

thereof, which are adapted to engage with the rod c, and when in engagement therewith will hold thc side bars of the pivoted frame at an inclination, thus providing means for changing the depth at which the paddles will enter the water or for holding the paddle-wheel entirely out of the water.

To the bottom of the boat are secured hollow blocks D D', and through these blocks pass rods d d', the rod d being pivotally attached to the lower end of a lever e, and to the upper end of said leveris attached a rod f, which extends to one of the crank-arms a. The forward end of the rod d -is attached to the lower end of a foot-pedal g.

h refers to a hand-lever which is pivoted to a bearing attached to the bottom of the boat, said lever being passed through an aperture in the block D', and this hand-lever is c011- nected by a rod t to the lever e, the connecting-rod c' being bent, as shown. The lever e is located on one side of the boat and is connected with a paddle-wheel by a rod f, and on the opposite side of the boat from the lever e is a similarly constructed and mounted lever e',which is connected to the crank of the paddle-shaft by a rod f. To the lower end of the lever c is attached a rod d, which eX- I tends to the -lowerend of the foot-lever g'. The arrangement and organization of the parts are such that when the foot-lever g is inclined toward the stern the lever e', to which it is attached,will have its lower portion similarly inclined, and when the foot-lever g is rearwardly inclined the foot-pedal g will be forwardly inclined, said lever being on the opposite side of the keel from the lever g. The connecting-rodi between the hand-lever h and lever e may be readily separated fromthe hand-lever, and said hand-lever is merely used in starting and stopping or changing the direction of rotation of the paddle-wheel. Beneath the thwarts or cross-pieces, rear of the seats, are attached bearings 7c, in which are j ournaled the bent ends of the foot-levers g g',

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which carry at their lower ends pedals k2 of any suit-able type. The upper bent ends of the foot-levers g g', between the bearings 7a, have rigidly attached thereto pinionsl or segmental racks, if desired, which are in mesh with each other, and when one of the footlevers is moved either forward or aft a reverse movement will be given to the adjacent footlever. Thus the operator exerts power through one of the foot-levers with both legs. It will also be noted that the foot-levers are arranged at opposing angles, thus to a great extent overcoming the dead-center.

M refers to a hand steering-lever which is connected by a rod m to a crank-arm Vm,which extends from a shaft upon which is mounted a pinion or segmental rack M', the same meshing with a pinion or gear-wheel on the upper end of the rudder-post. This arrangement affords a cheap and effective steering-gear, and when the steering-lever M is moved forward the rudder will be turned to starboard.

In operation the occupants of the boat will be seated looking or facing toward the bow, and they will place their feet upon the pedals of the foot-levers and by oscillating the same will reciprocate the bars CZ d, thus rocking the levers c c and reciprocating the rods connected to the shaft of the paddle-wheel, so as to impart a rotary motion thereto. The operator on the rear seat can manipulate with his hands the steering-lever and the lever for stopping or changing the direction of rotation of the paddle-wheel.

It will be noted that the propulsion mechanism is located principally beneath the seats, that the rods are close to the keel, and that the foot-pedals are geared together in pairs and are arranged at different angles, which insures steadiness of movement and equalizing the power applied, the foot-levers being connected through the crank shaft, upon which the paddle-wheel is mounted, and the connecting-rods. A boat thus equipped may be provided with the ordinary oar-locks, and if oars are used it is not necessary to remove any part of the propulsion mechanism, as it will not interfere with the .use of oars.

I am aware that it has been proposed to propel small boats by the use of stern-wheels operated by hand-levers,v and I do not claim such construction, as I consider hand-levers objectionable from several points of View, among which may be mentioned the operation of hand-levers being above the gunwales of the boat the movement of the body in operating them renders the boat less stable. The

operators do not have their hands free for use for fishing, gunning, &c.

YVith the arrangement shown the motion is near the keel of the boat, and, if needed, one of the operators may not only use his feet and legs to drive the boat, but also his hands and arms. The number of foot-levers may be increased in accordance with the length of the boat.

I'Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- I. In a propulsion mechanism for boats, the combination of a pair of foot-levers having pedals which are in gear with each other, one of the foot-levers being connected to a driving-rod, substantially as shown.

2. In a propulsion mechanism for boats, the combination with a pair of foot-levers arranged side by side, said foot-levers being in gear with each other so that one will move forward while the other moves aft, said footlevers being connected with a driving-rod, substantially as shown.

3. In a propulsion mechanism forboats, the

combination with a pair of driving-rods Conf nected with a paddle-wheel and with separate pairs of foot-levers, of the foot-levers each pair thereof being positioned side by side and in gear with each other so that during the range of movement of the foot-levers one pair will not be parallel with the other pair, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination in a propulsion mech` anism for boats having a stern paddlewheel and means for imparting a rotary motion thereto, of a supportin g-f rame for the paddle wheel which is pivotally attached to the hull of the boat, a cross-bar in rear of the means for connecting the paddle-wheel-supporting frame to the boat, cams rigidly attached to the cross-bar so as to engage the supportingframe, one of the cams having a depending portion to which is attached a notched-arm which arm is adapted to engage with a crossbar which connects the paddle-wheel-supporting frame to the boat, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a propulsion mechanism for boats, the combination of foot-levers arranged in pairs, each pair of the foot-levers being in gea-r adjacent to their fulcrums, one of each pair of said foot-levers being connected to reciprocating rods, oscillating levers connected to the reciprocating rods and to rods which extend from opposite ends of the oscillating levers to cranks on the shaft of a paddle-wheel, and a hand-lever connected to one of the oscillating levers, the parts being organized substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT BELZ.

Vitnesses:

FRANK LEIMER, E. W. FRANK.

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